


Welcome to Scav Town

by ENC95



Category: 12 Monkeys (TV)
Genre: Angst, F/M, Humor, Hurt/Comfort, M/M, Past Abuse, Time Travel
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2015-04-14
Updated: 2015-08-23
Packaged: 2018-03-23 00:16:00
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 10
Words: 16,404
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/3748330
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/ENC95/pseuds/ENC95
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>“You got to let me go,” Ramse says holding his side.<br/>“No,” I force the word out as we exit the dark tunnel. “I never left you before I won’t stop now.”<br/>His breath is shallow “I’m dying, Brother, nothing you can do.”<br/>Just as he says that a car races into the parking lot the window is rolled down “Get in.”<br/>I look at the man he’s younger than me in his early twenty’s but everything about him how he’s speaking the urgency in his voice I know that he is from the future too. He widens his eyes “Come with me now I can help Cassie sent me.”</p>
            </blockquote>





	1. Get in!

“You got to let me go,” Ramse says holding his side.

“No,” I force the word out as we exit the dark tunnel. “I never left you before I won’t stop now.”

His breath is shallow “I’m dying, Brother, nothing you can do.”

Just as he says that a car races into the parking lot the window is rolled down “Get in.”

I look at the man he’s younger than me in his early twenty’s but everything about him how he’s speaking the urgency in his voice I know that he is from the future too. He widens his eyes “Come with me now I can help Cassie sent me.”

“She just went to 2043.”

“Look your friend is losing blood I can get you both somewhere safe you just have to get in the car now before the cop or the Monkeys find us.”

Ramse fall into the back seat while climb to the passenger side, the boy waste no time whipping the car around spending my stomach in circles “Please don’t do that again.”

“I’m Miles,” He says, turning onto the road not slowing down.

“Cole that’s Ramse.”

Miles scoffs “I know he’s supposed to be dead.”

“I’m working on it.” His voice is weak.

Miles just shakes his head a weird little smile on his youthful face, muttering “Guess that solves that.”

Turning around I press my coat into his side “You’re gonna be alright.”

The kid takes out a cell phone, pressing the screen, it rings once “Miles, what the hell, Brother?”

“I found Cole.”

The other voice sound heavy with sleep ask “I sent you there for that reason why are you calling me.”

“I found José Ramse too, he’s bleeding on my seats.”

The line goes quiet for a good 30 seconds before “Shit! I’ll get the Doc up is he gonna need blood?”

“Yeah, hold on,” He looks at me “You know his blood type?”

“B+.” Jones took blood from us in case we ever needed it.

“You hear that, Brother.”

The unnamed man yawns “Got it.”

Miles speeds up through a red-light “See you soon.”

“Where are you taking us? Who are you? How did Cassie send you here?”

He laughs “Which one do I answer first?”

I pull my gun “This is not the time to joke kid.”

He chuckles “My father is Jacob Deacon if you think that scares me you are wrong. And if you think I was ever a child you did not know my father.”

“Deacon’s other kid is that who was on the other line?”

“No, I call him brother,” He keeps his eyes forward carefully choosing his words. “He’s the guy who kept me alive all those years. We looked out for each other because the only other person my father liked smacking around more than me was him.”

I look back at Ramse “He’s passed out.”

Miles looks over his shoulder “He’s still breathing, he’ll be fine.”

“Where are you taking us?”

“A farm, there’s lots of us there.”

“Us?”

“Scavs from the future the one’s Jones sent back, but never went forward. Me, my brother, and the Doc found them. The Doc invested in the stock market making lots of money. I was the one who thought about buying the farm.”

That’s impressive if they have a place where people us are safe working “Where is this farm?”

“A couple miles outside of D.C. Jones splintered us back to 2010 here from 2058. We’ve been waiting for you for five years now it’s a pretty good life better than what I grow-up with.”

Doc, that must be Jones “This Doctor, is she in charge?”

“Yes and No. She knows more about this world because she was born here most of the time when she isn’t in her clinic, she taking care people she goes out into public, handles all paperwork and money. I am more of the fix it type.”

I try to hide a smile “You like to fix things?”

Scoffing he agrees “I know being Deacons son most people would think I am better at breaking things but I’m not. My father hurt people because he likes it, I don’t like hurting people.”

Being a good judge of character is a skill that can save your life in the future his man doesn’t seem to have any violence in him. I sure he could if the situation called for it pull the trigger. It’s just one of those things that you have to do, but he likes wouldn’t get any pleasure from us. When Deacon would kill someone he would smile, enjoying the kill.

“And, your brother?”

“I guess he’s the boss, he runs the farm and likes to think that the Doc is in charge but really he’s our leader. People respect him.”

“What’s his name?”

“Samuel.”


	2. A Great Big Family Reunion

An hour later the car zooms down a dirt room I barely see the farmhouse in the as Miles takes me to a group of trailers. We stop at one with a medical insignia on it “This is the Doc’s place.”

The trailer door opens a ray of light about three feet wide, illuminating the darkness in the light I see “Cassie?”

She smiles at me, but it's different “You told me that we’d each other soon.”

I stare at her not noticing the other man come out helping to bring Ramse into the trailer. They both get him into the trailer, but I just can’t stop looking at her. Her face is same but her eyes, they tell a different story. For me it has been an hour if that, for her it’s been longer.

“Cassie,” I walk up to her taking her hand in mine. “How long?”

“Fifteen years.”

By now the lights and the sound of the car have awoken the people in the other trailer. Sam curses under his breath breaking the lock we have on each other, “Come with me.” She pulls me onto the stairs of the trailer while Sam speaks.

“Everyone get back to your trailers this is nothing to worry about.” Looking out I see people all different ages different colors. Some of them have knives in their hands while others just look terrified.

“Who is that?” A woman asks from the dark

Sam lets a hard sigh escape his lips, he doesn’t want people to know what’s happening “This is Cole.” People start to whisper Sam this time a powerful commanding voice. “Everyone back to bed we’ll have a meeting about at the big house for now just get back inside.”

“Are the 12 Monkeys coming for us,” A timid male voice asks.

“I don’t know, Trevor. Please I need you all back in bed, I will explain everything tomorrow, for now the Doc has a patient.”

They all shuffle back into their homes while Sam climbs the steps “Look Doc, I know you’ve been waiting for a long time for this reunion but we have a selfish Basterd to save.”

“Right,” Cassie says switching to the doctor again.

We both enter the trailer “Whoa, you’ve been busy.”

She smiles “Five years here.” I can tell she’s proud of her homemade clinic. What looks like the trailer is really a mini hospital at the eastern end are cots for patients.

They look bolted into the walls there are four of them on each side. Miles already has Ramse laid out his shirt off.

“Hey Doc, glad you could join us “I ready have him sedated.”

“Good,” She says opening a cabinets the top of the metal house is covered in cabinets. That are probably filled to brim with supplies for any all emergencies. The cots end in the middle of the single room with refrigerator on the left side and sink on the right. Behind me at the western end of the trailer is a square table with comfortable looking benches to sit on. That is where Sam has seated watching as Cassie and Miles hover over Ramse.

I join Sam at the table “What is this place?”

Sam smiles “This is home. Legally, it’s an independently owned farm called Traveler Ranch. We call it Scav Town because in the future most of the people here will be, are, will be Scav’s.”

“Sam we need blood.” Cassie says over her shoulder.

In the light I can get a good look at him, he his fathers son. They both have the same tan color to their skin and if rooms did have hair it would black as coal like Sam. They could be brothers all kept the eyes he has Elena’s eyes. He lays in the cot across from his father. “I thought you said he was dead.” His tone isn’t an angry tone like I would think it’s more like he’s annoyed.

“I said I shot him and I think he bled out.” Cassie says, expertly threading a needle for stitching. “Obviously he didn’t.”

Miles has on gloves to he walks over to me “Excuse me.”

“Sorry,” I say moving out of his way I didn’t even know that I had gotten out of my seat. 

He opens the small door taking out a needle and some tubing. “Its Cole, he pulled him out of that facility instead of leaving him there to die.”

Following him back, I watch as the same young man pulls off the long sleeve shirt when Miles said Deacon beat them I knew what he meant. But seeing it is something else, shallow marks from a knife dot his chest, along with circular burns. I could see Deacon now smoking Jones' cigarettes then pressing them into his flesh. The most troubling of his scars is one on the collar bone, where the piece of wire was twisted into VII then burned into his skin.

“See something you like?”

I look down “Sorry.”

He looks at the number touching it with the right hand “Deacon slapped me and Miles with these when we were 12.”

Miles nods inserting another needle in the Ramses arm “Said we belonged to the Seven.”

Sam nods, looking over at his father “Hurt like hell too.”

Even Cassie nods while moving the needle into his skin “It was the only time I saw either of you cry.”

_-_-__-_-__-_-__-_-__-_-__-_-__-_-__-_-__-_-__-_-__-_-__-_-__-_-__-_-__-_-__-_-_

Both of the young man passes out Miles lays in the cot at Sam’s feet, even when he sleeps it shows what kind of life he lived. He’s curled into himself, his back toward the aisle. Without his shirt on knowing what his body might look like. It would look much like Sam’s full of scars and burns that mark them as survivors of Deacon and the years they live under his rule. Sam can’t move into a ball like Miles his left arm laying on the cot the clear tube filled blood connecting him to his father. Still, his body is tense waiting for a punch or a kick.

Cassie walks over to me a bottle in one hand and two glasses in the other, “You did change the future you know.”

“I did?”

 She pours an amber liquid into the glasses. “One day Jones was looking for information about the 12 Monkeys I found this article about Ethan Seki. He was found dead in the splinter chamber November 11th, 2015.”

“But I saved him you saved him.”

She drinks the whole glass, “You changed his fate and that changes everything.”

“What happen to you?” I ask in what I think is concerned tone sipping my whiskey.

“After Jones fixed me Deacon took over. I’m a doctor so he let me stay. Miles and his Mother, Anna, where my most frequent patients. She killed herself a year later.”

“And Sam?”

 “Six months before Miles Mother killed herself, she ran away, taking Miles with her to a theme park that was used by others to camp. Rams left Sam there before he splintered here. Deacon took the camp and when he found out who Sam’s father was…” Her voice trails off as she looks at the two men on the cots. I can fill in the rest, Deacon beats both of them Miles for not being a raging psychopath like himself and Sam for just being Ramses.

“What about Jones?”

“Jones was still alive when we last see her. Deacon locked the chamber so no one could get in. We broke in and Jones gave us her last injections then sent us back here. Me, because I know how this world worked, but when I first got back it was so…”

“Alien.” I offer

She laughs pouring more alcohol “Exactly and the boys, twenty years old amazed at finally seeing a city. I wanted them here to back there they had no future.”

“So, what was the mission, Jones had to give you one.” Some things never change Jones has to have a mission it’s what makes her Jones.

“This is our mission, to find all the people that never came back lost in the sea of time. Make a safe place for them.”

“A farm,” It seems a little laid back to me to normal.

“Miles always said if he could live anywhere, it would be a farm. It works and farmers don’t need to have the best documents on their workers, which is good when almost everyone here has another littler them out there even I did till now.”

“Right, because I sent you to Jones, who sent you back here.”

She rises her glass to mine “That’s right, I’m the one and only now.”

Looking into my glass my head goes back to what Sam said before we entered the trailer “What did he mean by meeting.”

“It’s something we do whenever we find another traveler, we meet at the big house and let everyone ask questions. Who they were, how they found Jones, what they did before we found them. Then all have a welcome get to know you kind of party. You however are kind of famous here.”

“Famous?”

“You are the savior of mankind remember.”

I down the glass she pours more “And Ramse?”

“That’s tricky, Miles will let him stay and I made my peace with his choices a long time ago. Sam is the wildcard, I don’t really know how he feels about him anymore. Before we came here he hated him, but things changed recently, he found a different point of view.”

“A reason to trade 7 billion for just one.”

_-_-__-_-__-_-__-_-__-_-__-_-__-_-__-_-__-_-__-_-__-_-__-_-__-_-__-_-__-_-__-_-_

I hear heavy feet on the wooden stairs and I open my eyes, Cassie is awake too she heard that. Fifteen years in the future I guess she picked-up some useful skills. The person enters the room bringing with them a heavy chill.

There is a heavy sigh from the person, it sounds like woman I look over to Cassie, who has smile on her face “Good morning Jude.”

Sitting up my eyes widen to take in the woman she’s not very tall, five-five and she’s not fat. Her winter coat does little to hide the very belly where hers are resting in a very natural way. By the time I make it up to her face, she, which is covered in freckles she has the sweetest smile. Her eyes look like two pools of deep brown that seem to shine with a special kind of joy. Her oval face is framed by thick locks of fiery red hair.

“You must be Cole,” She holds out a gloved hand.  

“James,” I say more loudly then I should.

Our voices wakes the other man “Jude?”

She turns a remarkable feet to face Sam, Miles, and Ramse. My brother is just as shocked to see the woman as I am.

Sam voice is full of worry and concern “Jude what are doing here?” He asks, pulling on his shirt the tube and needle gone Cassie must have disconnected them before she crashed.

She jokes with him “Well, Mr. Ramse I woke-up this morning and my husband just wasn’t there do you know where he splintered off too?”

Sam laughs lightly, trying to hide is nervous “Sorry about that.”

I look at my Ramse his eyes are wide and it’s from pain or the morphine. The shock of seeing his grown son, plus a very pregnant wife when the last time he was just a little boy.

They kiss with Jude has to stand on her toes “I also ran into Tia because I’m not allowed to use the stove now.” She sounds annoyed at that and I can see why being from the future we aren’t used to doing nothing, even if you’re pregnant.

 “Just a few more weeks, babe.” Sam says with a real smile rubbing the mammoth belly. I wonder if she’s carrying twins.

“Tia also she said that you brought Cole in last night along with a mystery man.” She waves to Ramse “Hello mystery man.”

“Hi.” He says back in a dazed voice.

Sam puts his arms on her shoulders “It’s complicated, so just back up to the house and I’ll see you soon.”

She laughs waddling over to us Cassie stands to give her a seat, “And miss the most awkward father/son reunion in history no thank you.”

“I never said he was my father.”

She snorts with laughter “I'm eight months pregnant not blind you two look so much alike you could be brothers.”

He takes offence to that “I have a brother.”

Miles stands nervous “And with that being said I would like to not be here so I’ll just go get some breakfast.”

  “When you’ve brought back some for them,” Sam says moving out of the way.

Jude turns to me “He doesn’t like to be in the middle of potentially violent confrontations.”

“And you do?”

“I was raised in violence before and after the world ended.”

Cassie sits close to me “This should be interesting.”

Sam doesn’t turn to face his father, he looks at Cassie and Jude “Do I really have to this I already gave him blood.”

“Now Sam.”

He goes over the refrigerator, taking out a bottle of water, then hands it to still dazed Ramse.

Sam sits on the cot across from him “Drink you’ll need your strength.”

“Sam you so big the last time I saw you were a child.”

He grits his teeth and stands “You look the same, but I guess one of us should.”

“I wanted to come back but I had to protect you.”

Jude mutters “Oh, you shouldn’t have said that.”

Sam scoffs at the answer “You wanted to protect me like you protected my mother? You promised to protect, and you promised to come back, but you never did. She died because of you.” His voice rises now “Everything bad that happen to us was because of you. And you’re going to sit there say it was to protect me?”

Ramse takes it all his justification, it’s meaningless now that his son is a man “I’m sorry I was just trying to do what was best for so you could a future.”

Jude stands “Sam don’t.”

It’s too late, however his right hand come across my Ramse face busting the lip knocking him back “Did you ever think what kind of future I would have?”

He leaves the trailer still enraged stopping only to tell Cassie “He doesn’t leave this trailer.”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> So, reaction time did you like it?


	3. Miles Deacon

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> That offends him, “We spent most of our childhoods either hiding from Deacon or get the shit kicked out of him. So yeah, we’re brothers.”  
> “Deacon had for you two did you do?”  
> Miles looks at him “Well, I am his a sorry disappointment of a son and Sam is your son.”   
> “You’re his son?”  
> He pulls on the shoulder of his shirt the number VII it’s deeper on him than it was on Sam “I didn’t get that kill for fun game and he hated that he hated everything about me. I wouldn’t have made this far if it wasn’t for him.”

Cassie goes after him while Jude sits back down she turns to me “That went better than I thought it would.”

Ramse spits out blood “Really?”

Her face, which I can tell is normally a kind one turns sour as she glares at him “Shut-up you’re supposed to be dead.”

“Why do you people keep saying that?”

“Because your monkey friends left you for dead if Cole hadn’t pulled you out or if the Doc didn’t stitched you up or if Sam didn’t give you his blood you would be dead. It was your fate to die last night. Sam thought you were dead, we all did.” She pauses to look down at her large stomach. “Now you aren’t so the question is what the hell are we going to do with you?”

 “Kill me?”

She laughs sarcastically “That would solve our problem for sure, but we’re not like that, José. We only kill when we have to, not because for us it’s fun or easy.”

“I never it was easy, sweetheart.” She takes a knife from her pocket throwing at his feet. It lands right in front of his left shoe not one centimeter of space between them “Don’t call me sweetheart.”

The door open it’s not Sam its Miles he has on gloves “Breakfast eat up, especially you.” He says setting a take container down in front of Jude.

“Mr. Cole.” He holds out white container with a clear top there’s droplets of water on the top.

“Spoon?”

He pulls two spoons wrapped in plastic from his coat pocket “My Lady.”

“Thanks,” I say taking the offered spoon opening the stirring the oatmeal. The smell of brown sugar makes my mouth water.

Miles takes a dish over to Ramse trading the knife for the oatmeal “You called her Baby doll?”

“Sweetheart.”

“You’re either very brave or very stupid.” He says handing over a spoon.

Jude takes off her coat relieving the full extent of her stomach “Are you having twins?”

Miles snickers from fridge “I told you that would his first question.”

She shallows her food “And I told you I never carry just one knife.”

He holds out a bottle of water for both of us “Tia’s mad you skipped breakfast.”

She groans “I swear I need to have this baby tomorrow just so everyone will stop treating me like I’m made of glass.”

We all sat in silence till I see the fabric move on Jude’s shirt I drop my spoon “What was that?”

They both laugh Jude reaches across the table, taking my hand putting it on her stomach. The kick of the child is quick and hard on my hand, “That doesn’t freak you out at all?” I have never felt a child move like this seeing a child is rare a baby is even rarer they’re like an eclipse. Most mothers keep their little kids to close them out of sight.

“The first time it happen it did, but now it’s just a natural part of life. I’m saving my freaking out for labor.”

Miles, who stayed on the cot across from Ramse laughs “You know you’re going to break his hand right?”

“No, I will need his hands for changing diapers and for 2 a.m. feedings.”

Ramse asks a question “So long have you been married to my son?”

“We’ve been married for three years this June. Miles on the other hand has been with him since they were kids.”

He nods “Right you’re brothers.”

That offends him, “We spent most of our childhoods either hiding from Deacon or get the shit kicked out of him. So yeah, we’re brothers.”

“Deacon had for you two did you do?”

Miles looks at him “Well, I am his a sorry disappointment of a son and Sam is your son.”

“You’re his son?”

He pulls on the shoulder of his shirt the number VII it’s deeper on him than it was on Sam “I didn’t get that kill for fun game and he hated that he hated everything about me. I wouldn’t have made this far if it wasn’t for him.”

“Speaking of, where is my husband?”

“In the barn.”

She drops the spoon “Shit!”

“What? Why is that bad?”

Miles glares at Ramse his question is stupid to Miles and I don’t tell him this, but he looks like his father right now “Sam was always quite growing up. I first met him when I was hiding from my father. We’re both in this closet and I didn’t know he was there until my father found us.”

“Cassie’s with him, right?”

“Yeah.”

She breathes a sigh of relief “Good.”

Miles knows Ramses’ next question “Cassie was like our Mom growing-up. She took care us made sure we ate and cleaned us up after my father had his fun.”

**2045**

_“Where are you boy?”_

_I keep my hand over my mouth if he finds me, you’ll hit me again the last time he hit me with a shoe and I passed out. That’s when I woke-up in the Doc's office, she’s nice stoking my hair humming a song._

_Hearing him coming down the hall “I know you’re here to sorry roach.”_

_Rocking back and forth I try to image my mother the door opens “Dad, please I didn’t mean to.”_

_He just laughs “Two for one.”_

_Looking across the small space I see Sam, he’s the only person that my father likes to hit more than me. Pulling us both out of our hair I twist yelling “Let me go.” While Sam just breathes hard._

_He digs his fingers’ into my hair pulling me up to his level “Let you go. Okay.” Throwing me onto the ground I brace my landing, but I land wrong and my right hand feels like it’s on fire. Turning back to Sam he has him by the hair too “Now you are the one I was looking for.” He raises his hand to hit him and I pull the question from deep in my stomach._

_“Why?” The question surprise all of us. Sam looks at me frowning shaking his head. “You always want to hit him when he ain’t done nothing to you.”_

_“Well shit, I do have a son after all.”_

_“Just leave him alone.” Sam says, it’s the most I ever heard him speak._

_That night I lay in the hospital most of the time I sleep in the room across from my father. He likes it when I’m close to him so he doesn’t have to look for me. Sam, I don’t really know where he sleeps tonight he’s next to me. The Doc said we might have concussions my father beat us both. I turn over seeing the Sam’s hazel eyes looking at me “Are you awake?”_

_“Yeah.” I sit up resting my hand on my left hand, the Doctor said I broke it. She wrapped it in bandages. Also, I have a cut on my right cheek and a black eye. Sam has split lip a boot sized bruise on his chest. It’s all kinds blue and purple._

_“Why did you do that he was going to leave you alone.”_

_I shrug “You never do anything. I’m the one who makes him mad.” I try to be good, but I never can make him happy with me. “You can walk into the room and make him mad.”_

_“Do you know how to play Go?”_

_Shaking my head “No is it fun?”_

_He nods “I’ll teach you.”_

_I feel myself smile, “I’ll show you all my hiding places.” When my father gets mad I’ll hide in the vents above us._

_Sam smiles too “Does this mean we're friends now.”_

_“We can be more than that we can be brothers, they look out for each other.”_

_“I’d like that.”_

_The Doc comes over “Hey, I told you to go to sleep.” She bends down between us so that each hand can stroke our hair. Sam has black hair that blends while I my blonde hair looks white._

_“Sorry, Doc, it was my fault.”_

_Her hand goes to my cheek if it were anyone else I would think they hit me, but she isn’t like that “Just get some sleep.”_


	4. We're Staying

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Cassie is here and Ramse is here it is safe, there’s food and people “We are.”  
> “Alright, well first off we need to get our story straight.”  
> “What story?” I ask.   
> Cassie answers “The one where Ramse didn’t work with the 12 monkeys.”  
> Miles add “Because if the people found out what you’ve done, they’ll hang you by your nut-sack and burn you alive.”  
> Sam smile fades as he talks to Ramse “Wipe that smile off your face he isn’t lying this is a dangerous place for you.”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Enjoy!!!

Sam and Cassie return an hour later “Who you okay?”

“I’m fine, babe.”

He walks down the aisle to Ramse “I don’t hate you I should but I don’t.”

Ramse nods “I can live with that.”

“I don’t trust you and I won’t forgive for what you’ve done here and now, but… If you chose to stay I’ll let you earn forgiveness.” He looks at his wife and her round stomach with their child. “You did what you did because whether I like it or not and I, don’t you are my father.”

  “That’s all I ever wanted was to be your father.”

“Okay,” He rubs his eyes. “You can stay and try, but I might not be a good song. Are both going to stay?”

Cassie is here and Ramse is here it is safe, there’s food and people “We are.”

“Alright, well first off we need to get our story straight.”

“What story?” I ask.

Cassie answers “The one where Ramse didn’t work with the 12 monkeys.”

Miles add “Because if the people found out what you’ve done, they’ll hang you by your nut-sack and burn you alive.”

Sam smile fades as he talks to Ramse “Wipe that smile off your face he isn’t lying this is a dangerous place for you.”

“So what then?”

Sam racks the back of his head, “We tell them the truth right up to the part where you two leave the seven. Say that after you say you went separate ways, you found Jones she sent you back here. Then Cole found you and you helped him along with Cassie.”

“What project splinter?”

“Only the people in this room truly know what happen in there.” Cassie says evenly and calmly. “We keep it to ourselves, you stay and earn redemption.”

“So I can leave now?”

Cassie smiles evilly “Yes, you and your mentor.”

Miles scoffs “Oh who has that unfortunate job?”

“Jude.”

The pregnant woman laughs “You’re funny doctor.”

She looks at Sam, who isn’t laughing or smiling, he dislikes this idea to “It’s not a joke babe.”

Her mouth hangs open “No make Miles do it.”

“Miles is with Cole.” Cassie says.

Miles taps Sam from the cot “Don’t I get a say in this?”

“I want you to him the ropes you two will get along.” Sam turns back to Ramse.

Miles stands “Fine, but I have a job to hear.”

“Take him with you, maybe he’ll learn something.”

We leave the trailer the first time I’ve been outside. It’s still cold, of course, everything else might have changed, but the seasons haven’t. The sun is shining and I see people they look me nod or some wave. Miles starts talking “I guess I’ll show you around this is the home plot. Some people live in the big house with us, but most of them chose to stay on their own.”

“What is the big house?”

“Sorry,” He sighs. “Sorry man I’ve done this before and most of the time the big house is what most people see first.”

We walk north to old-fashioned farmhouse, two stories tall and wide a sort of creamy white that reminds of a farm I would see in magazines. There’s a porch with swings on them. A few people linger there reading books or talking.

“This is the big house. I live here with Cassie and Sam it came to the farm we fixed it up. Most of the new travelers stay here while they get used to the routine around here. Then they move to their own trailer.”

“Routine?” I ask as we walk up the porch and the three people one man and two women stop talking.

Sam does notice the tension, but he just keeps talking “Yeah, this is a working farm with animals and crops all that stuff you heard about growing up. Everyone has a job I’m a machine I fix things. You’ll find a job too it could with my crew or you could join in with the planters. They’re the ones who really know how to grow food or you could join in with Jude that would be a good fit for you.”

“What does she do?” I ask entering the house.

“Jude use to run with Daughter’s so we left her in charge of security.”

I chuckle “The Daughters? I thought they used men as sperm donors.”

 “We all came from places, but now we’re here now. You, me and Sam we choose this most of the others didn’t. They had lived before some of them were thieves or Scav’s or Daughters. None of that matters now because we’re here.”

 “Whoa.” This place wasn’t fancy like most of places in the past are but it’s not gray and makeshift like splinter either. It’s more like Cassie’s bookstore a place that makes you feel at home. A large staircase leads up to the next floor to the left is a large room filled with books and big reading chairs.

“Cassie set it up mostly it feels… warm.”

I nod “So who’s in charge here you said Sam was but he doesn’t like the fact that Ramse and Jude are buddies.”

“That is Cassie idea,” He says, taking me to the left. “And there is a little tiny part of Sam that has some positive feeling for José. Sam might never love, but he loves his child wants it have everything I guess that means having a grandfather.”

“This place is?” This room is wide big enough for dozens of people. A fireplace with a real fire going. Above is a TV a news station going running a story about Ramse.

Sam flops onto a couch “This is the living room.”

Sitting in a chair I move to edge of it in case I need to leave quickly Sam sees “No one is going to come in and fight you.”

“I know.” I say scanning the room for possible exists.

He says eyes closed “There are five ways out of here, try to relax.”

“Do you?”

Sitting up “I do now before no way not with my father, I always needed another way out.”

“Where are all the people?”

“Working,” He says changing the channel. “Spring and summer are planting and harvesting, but work happens all the time. Some of them are repairing equipment others are tending animals or working on personal projects. Also, you’re kinda a rock star around here the great Cole Savior of mankind. They’re giving you space.”

“What about food?”

Miles nods “This is why I was picked for being a mentor the kitchen is down that hall.” He points left “Help yourself to whatever. And feel free to look around the house.”

I get up to leave, then he says “Oh but if there is a name on the door that’s some else room stay out.”

Finding the kitchen is easy enough like everything else here, it’s big enough for dozens of people. A crew, in the seven there was a pecking order, but we all would eat together for the most part safety in numbers. This room is open, large windows let in the light and the smell of breakfast hangs in the air.

“Hey.” I turn it’s a woman, in her late forties caramel skin dotted with moles and curly hair has just a little bit of gray in it. Her face is worn with a questioning look in her brown eyes.

“Hi.”

She smiles “Your Cole right?”

I nod “Yes.”

“I’m Tia.”

Shaking her hand “Nice to meet you.”

She laughs leading me to a table “You haven’t been in past long have you?”

Sitting down I scoff “I’m used to splintering bark.”

The woman nods, moving around the room getting me a cup of coffee “What’s your year?”

“My year?”

Bring over a pot of coffee and two cups “The year your present, mine was 2037.”

The year in the future when they sent you back “Um 2043.”

She nods to the cup I pour her a cup, then you for myself “I’ve been here since 2009. Sam and Miles found me living in the streets in 2012.”

“I didn’t know Jones sent people that far back.” The goal was for them to get as close to 2015 as possible.

“When you don’t know what you’re doing just getting someone back in one piece is enough.” It’s the way she says it like this most natural thing like talking about the weather. Then again, maybe it is these people all come future like me. Conversions like this are probably happing right now.

“So do you stay here?”

Her curls move with her head “I do.” She leans in, “The house might not belong to me but I run it.”

“Run it?”

“She organizes meals and runs the pantry. We don’t all eat together people write in the log what they take. Then Tia here goes to the storehouse picking out what we need.” Miles says from the door.

“Well,” She turns replying in a joking. “Without me, you would all be the disorganized mess I found when I first came here.”

Miles nods leaning against the door frame “This is very true. Cole you want to come pick out a room?”

I nod, taking my cup to the sink, but her hand stops me “I’ll get it.”

“You don’t have to.”

She laughs “You’ll be pulling your weight around here soon for now just settled in.”

Miles takes me up the stairs “Sorry about that I forget to warn you Tia is the oldest person here. She like grandmother to all of us.”

“No need to be sorry it’s nice.”

“This is the second floor,” He says. Walking down the hall, he knocks on the first door “This is my room.”

We keep going he points out the two other bedrooms and Sam’s room at the end of the hall. The room next to it’s the nursery for the baby it has a padlock on it “Only Tia and Cassie the baby’s gender. Sam and Jude, don't want to know. Cassie and Tia made this room for them. Everyone is really into the whole baby thing. I’m taking bets on gender if you want in.”

“Are there any other kids here?” I know there aren’t no toys and I didn’t see any playing outside. Also, it’s too quiet in here any child here would be making some kind of noise.

“No,” Miles looks troubled. “It was never a rule, most people came here with the ghost of their children. Some people arrived here with a girlfriend or boyfriend then some people got together here, but knowing what’s coming they don’t have children.”

“So why are they having a kid?”

He smiles “Because they can. They don’t have the ghost of any child with them. Sam and I were born after everyone we know how to live with nothing your what five six now?”

“I’ll be six in March.”

 “That makes you what eight when this all ends you and the rest know how to survive a dying world while Sam and I lived in what came after.”

It hits me we all know what comes next and how to live in that world you need safety and people willing to fight to keep it to kill. “This is the best place to raise a child.”

“I hope so,” He leads me to a room with a plain door no letter or piece of cloth.

“This is you.” Miles make the same motion with his hands that his father made when I joined him.

Looking inside its very bare in past terms there are bed and dressers for clothes that I don’t have. A mirror and window with dark curtains “Thanks.”

“You know where the bathroom is and Tia keeps extra clothes in the draws they might not be an exact fit, but they won’t fall off of you.”

“Thanks it’s been a long morning, can I just stay here, maybe catch up on some sleep?”

He nods “Right I’ll be in the barn if you want me or if you don’t, you can just walk around.”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> You reached the end you know what you can do now...Write me a comment just a few words I love to hear from you my readers. Tell me if I my characters sound out of place tell I'm doing a good job or tell me if its bad. I can only get better if you say something. Thanks for reading!


	5. We're all Together

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> “Why are you here?” She ask pulling on a sock somehow those came off.  
> “Um…” He nods to the clock. “Dinner the evening meal you get three a day here remember.”  
> “It's six already?”  
> “Maybe Jude’s kid will have a playmate after all.”  
> Cassie scoffs “I guess you have to come to dinner now.”  
> I hear and smell dinner before I see it “How many are there?”  
> “Twenty-seven, but Jude’s kid will make it twenty-eight.”

As most as I would love to explore the farm, but I don’t I stay in my room looking at the large window. I watch people as they go to and from places most of the morning, then they all come to the house. Looking at the clock beside the bed, I see its noon, lunch time. I watch Jude waddle up the house with rooms following her I wonder where he’s been all day.

Someone knocks on my door “Its Cassie.”

“Come in,” I say sitting on the bed.

She comes in with a tray of food “I thought you might not want to get swarmed like Ramse.”

“Thanks.” Her body looks the same the way she carries has changed. The moves are confident, but her voice the easy gentle tone it sounds rusty. “What’s wrong, Cassie?”

She sets the tray down on the bed “I’m just glad you’re staying that all.”

I eat the meal its good hearty the kind of food that fills you up and the whole time I eat. She just looks at me, it’s been years for her again, I’ve made her wait. For the first time in a long time I allow myself to feel guilty “Sorry.”

Her smile is the same “For what?”

“Making you wait and spending you in the future, it’s no place anyone would willingly go.”

Cassie moves the tray getting closer to me “You saved my life you don’t need to be sorry.”

“I know it’s been a long time for you and I'm sure-”

“Shut up,” She says kissing me. It happens too quickly that when she pulls away, I stay still she sighs “I’m sorry. You need time to figure out how you feel I get that.”

Her motion to stand is quick I take her hand, “Don’t.” Ramse said that I love her he was right, of course, I’ve had a few hours to try figure it out. For her, it’s been fifteen years all that time to think about what she feels. What do I feel? Right now I just want her.

Gently I pull her down on the bed “James you don’t have to do this if you don’t want to.”

I am really bad at showing affection it can get you killed still I follow my instincts. Putting my hands on both sides of her face “I want you and I don’t want to waste anymore of your time.”

“So don’t.”

There many ways that time goes around a person I know them all. When you’re so hungry you’ll eat cardboard time goes slowly. Time speeds up when you’re running or if you’re hurt. I use to think that the only way to stop them was to die. Now with Cassie’s lips on mine, I feel the time around us stop. I kiss her fully with passion that I didn’t know was in me.

She pushes against me laying my “I’ve waited a long time for this.”

“I can tell,” I say before her lips silence mine again.

I pull at her shirt she moans her approval as my heads, pull the fabric over her silky hair. Her breathing is heavy “That’s not fair.” She pulls off my shirt seeing old wounds, some of the switch she stitched up herself as she kiss each one my breathing becomes frantic.

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“So what now?”

“Now, I go get a shower.” She leaves the bed to gather her clothes.

Sitting up I lean on my side looking at her body, it’s thin, but lean, there’s more muscle than the last time I saw it. “Like what you see?”

“Yes, I do.”

Pulling on a shirt she laughs “I missed you.”

I lay flat on the bed “Where’s Miles?”

“I told him to go find someone else to annoy for a few hours I think he’s with Jorden.”

“That his girl?”

She shakes her head “No, that’s his boyfriend.”

“Really?”

She pulls her pants “Yeah, his father loved it when he found out.”

Deacon as a father that just sounds wrong, some people shouldn’t be parents not because their kids would be bad. It’s because the kids might not make it to see its tenth birthday. Deacon had woman before I had seen one of them before it was our first winter with them. Ramse didn’t like it, but I told him we needed the 7 to survive that winter.

“I bet he did.”

“Broke his arm and two ribs,” She shudders at the memory. “Sam dragged him into my clinic he was just thirteen at the time.”

Another knock this one is heavy “Cassie you in there?”

“Yeah,” She says.

Miles comes in “Oh.” His eyes travel from my shirtless chest for clothes still on the floor. He turns to Cassie “Congrats on the sex, but couldn’t you have waited another day.”

“Why are you here?” She ask pulling on a sock somehow those came off.

“Um…” He nods to the clock. “Dinner the evening meal you get three a day here remember.”

“It's six already?”

“Maybe Jude’s kid will have a playmate after all.”

Cassie scoffs “I guess you have to come to dinner now.”

I hear and smell dinner before I see it “How many are there?”

“Twenty-seven, but Jude’s kid will make it twenty-eight.”

We round the hall and see them, I can say they’ve all been together for years laughing and smiling. I spot Miles at a table with another man older them him by a few years. Then again time is different for us now Cassie has lived more years then me and I still love her.

The people all stop to look at me the conversions die down Cassie takes charge “Everyone this is Cole.”

They all say “Hi.”

I nod waving they all smile a few laughs, then they go back to their meals and the conversations, the topic of the conversations has changed no one ask me anything. Cassie takes my hand, leading to a long table where large dishes of any kind of food sit. Most of it I recognize, but the large dish of meat that almost empty is a mystery to me.

“Here,” She hands me two plates from a stack.

She puts one square piece of brown meat with red sauce on each plate it smells good “What is this?”

“Meatloaf,” I follow her down the line she add mashed potatoes, green beans and a biscuit.

I sit with Ramse, Sam, and Jude, who turns to Sam “I told you so.”

Cassie sits with two glasses “Told you what?”

“That you two would get together before the end of the day.”

Ramse just eats his food with a smile threaten to break through, while Sam is laughing lightly “Are you always gonna be right?”

Jude rubs her stomach “We’ll see.” She turns to me “See I think that it’s a boy and Sam is so dead set on it being a girl.”

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“You sure you don’t want to stay?” I ask my hands are entangled in hers.

Cassie smiles like she wants to, but she says “No, I think a sleepover thing moving a little too fast.”

“I thought you liked fast?” Leaning down I kiss her all the passion of this afternoon still there like a caged animal.

“Oh,” She moans as she pulls away. “That’s cheating, James.”

“Sorry.”

This time her kiss is gentle “Good night.”

I search my brain, there is something my father would say “Sweet dreams.”

When I was little and my father was alive, I had a room of my own, but that change when he died. Then Ramse and I were on our own sharing tents and sleeping bags, sleeping close together so we didn’t freeze to death. At splinter we stayed together because we had to. And, spending my night in Cassie’s bookstore meant sleeping on the couch, I never liked either I was too exposed. Having my own space here is a luxury that I didn’t use to.

Turning over in my bed for the ninth time “Screw it.” I open my window stepping out onto the roof.

“Nice night, huh?” Ramse is on the roof looking up at the stars.

“Can’t sleep?”

He shakes his head “It’s too quiet here.”

I like it here the city was too loud for me “It’s nothing like what I’m used to.”

“Yeah, it’s different.”

I look at his hand the skins aged, but the rest of him hasn’t “Where were you?”

He looks at the sky “For the first eight years I was in prison this one inmate would beat my ass every day.”

“Why?”

“Because he could.”

I know what that’s like “What’d you think about this place?”

His eyes wander to where Sam’s room is “I don’t know it isn’t like other places people here are…”

“Friendly,” I offer the word sounds odd to me.

“What about us?

“You’re my brother I tried to kill you and I can’t.”

He turns to face me “Eight years I let myself get beat for killing you. I know my word might not mean much anymore, but I’m sorry.”

“I forgive you, but I don’t trust you either you’ll have to earn that from me too.”

He smiles “So, this is home now?”

“Home is where ever you want it to be, brother.”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> So, that happen. Did you like it. Comments are welcome.


	6. Doesn't anyone sleep

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> “I don’t think he ever was.” Miles turns his hands over there are cut marks on both arms. They’re jagged lines, both long and short most are shallow cut, but one is long about four inches long.   
> “Did you do this to yourself?”  
> “No, he would get drunk very drunk and break bottles. If I was around I would have to clean it up. If I was too slow, he would just take a large piece and.” He traces one of the marks. “Most nights when was drunk I would sneak off to Cassie or Sam’s room.”

After my talk with Ramse, he goes back to his room while I still can’t sleep, I turn on my too large and too soft bed. I stay that way for another hour till I get so restless that I go down the stairs. In the kitchen I find Miles sitting at a table shirtless and alone just staring at a beer.

“Are you going to drink that?”

“No,” He holds it out to me. I look at his body it’s dotted with knife marks and burns like Sam. Only he has more of them a lot more all the years were he was with the seven and Sam wasn’t.

I take the glass bottle its warm “You don’t drink?”

He shakes his head “No it’s just something I do when I can’t sleep.”

“Nightmares?”

He kicks out a chair say in a defeated tone “Yeah.”

Opening the bottle I take sip I have a guess “Your father?”

“Five years I’ve been here and I’m still afraid that he’ll show up to destroy everything take all and leave us to die.” He laughs to himself “It’s pathetic I know.”

I sit down close to him my eyes note the healed marks on his chest “No.”

Miles smile is full of sorrow “He would say that all the time that I was a useless and a pathetic excuse for a son.”

“You’re not,” I tell him.

“You sound like Cassie,” He leans back, rubbing his eyes. “She would say that all the time, Sam too.”

The picture of Deacon the large man standing over a little version of Miles yelling at him is clear. I knew kids like that in foster care that had parents that would drum into their heads how they were useless. It would along time for them to realize that they weren’t. Miles had Sam and Cassie to tell him otherwise still sons crave to have their fathers be proud of them.

“He wasn’t a good person.”

“I don’t think he ever was.” Miles turns his hands over there are cut marks on both arms. They’re jagged lines, both long and short most are shallow cut, but one is long about four inches long.

“Did you do this to yourself?”                                     

“No, he would get drunk very drunk and break bottles. If I was around I would have to clean it up. If I was too slow, he would just take a large piece and.” He traces one of the marks. “Most nights when was drunk I would sneak off to Cassie or Sam’s room.” I can’t see Cassie standing by letting this happen to either of them “He hit her too.”

“What?”

“Cassie,” Miles says reading my mind. “The first time my Mother showed up with me Cassie when right to him telling him that he was monster.”

That sound like her fearless or hiding her fear “How did that work out.”

“He just busted her lip once it was enough to let her know who ran things and how life worked.”

Miles goes back to his bedroom while I stay in the kitchen my mind going in a hundred different directions. I want to stay here with Cassie and live, but I know the future, she’ll still die in my arms.

“Miles said you were down here.”

It's Sam, he is wearing a shirt and sweat pants “Yeah, does anyone sleep around here?”

“Apparently not,” He sits down.

“You come sit with him when he has nightmares.”

The man smiles, nodding to the bottle “Someone has to drink his beer.”

“Did you two ever try to escape,” It’s not easy, but not impossible we did.

He holds up one finger “We planned for weeks saving every scrap we could. It was our plane to go south. Pausing to drink “It was a childish fantasy to think we could leave. Deacon is the most powerful figure in the region. We made it a whole day before he found us.”

“How old were you?”

“Twelve.” He touches his chest “He gave us these after branding us as property of the Seven for life.”

“I’m sorry that happen to you.”

He nods “I can see why Cassie paired you with him you’ll be good for him.”

That makes me laugh “I’m not good for anyone I get people killed, I’ve killed so many people.”

Sam takes my half-finished beer drinking out in one try “Find me a person here that hasn’t killed at least once.”

I want to tell Cassie, but in fifteen years with the Seven I bet she’s killed someone before. That’s what’s changed about her, the innocents that she had is gone, it was fading the last time I saw her changing her already. The innocents were gone from her, that’s not something you get back, but she did hold on to her compassionate nature.

“I thought so. Miles…” He pauses, looking at the glass bottle. “My brother likes to think that he isn't worth anything."

“That's not true.” In the limited time that I've spent with him I have known him he doesn't seem worthless. Around most people he's hesitant in his words and actions afraid to say or do the wrong thing. Only around Cassie, Sam, and Jude did he seem relaxed.

He nods “It's what he thinks that's why he never talks to people about his past he thinks it makes him weak cause that’s what his father would tell him. Tonight is the first time he's talked about his to anyone other than me and Cassie.”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I want you the person reading this to write me a comment. If you don't write a comment how will I know if you like it?


	7. Surprise Inspection

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Miles scans the room “Jude must have him on a patrol already. They eat later than us since the first shift goes out at five. Sam and Cassie should be down soon.” It’s starting to freak me out how he knows what my next question is going to be.  
> Jude comes over to our table singing “Good morning.”  
> “You look happy?”  
> Jude stirs the blueberries into her oatmeal “I have made up my mind that today I will give birth.”  
> Miles chocks on his food “You’ve been saying that for the past week.”  
> “Nope, today is the day, he’s going to be here today.” She sounds very sure of herself while Miles just smiles.

The next morning comes all too soon for me with Miles knocking at my door “Cole time to get up.”

Looking over at the clock I sigh its early living in the wilds then at Splinter we never had to be up early unless we were on patrol “Miles?”

He is dressed already looking down at me since I slept on the floor with a pillow and blanket. He has an odd looking smile on his face like he knew this is where I would if I did sleep at all. Holding out his hand he pulls me up “Don’t worry everyone sleeps on the floor first few nights.”

“Did you?” I ask going over to the dresser, pulling out a shirt.

He nods “Yeah, Cassie she checked into a motel and I tossed till I ended up on the floor.”

“So,” I pull on the shirt. “What now?”

“Breakfast, then you just have to follow me around while I do my chores.”

Leading me down the hall we meet a man missing two fingers the pinky and ring. Also, his left leg ends in a stump at the knee where a prosthetic limb, then goes down to, he’s around my age. Looking at me with hateful gray eyes that match his tone, “Your Cole?”

Miles’ knowing where this conversation is going steps in “Back off Tyler.”

The man shallows whatever words was going to say and limps away muttering “Damn lie.”

“Sorry about that his splinter was difficult he lost his personality and leg.” He says leading me down the stairs to the busy kitchen “Breakfast is from six and eight everyday except Sunday then its eight to ten.”

“Okay.”

The people note that we’re here, but otherwise they about their business just looking at us because we entered the room. All the Scav instincts that these people had grown up with are hard to break even after years of living here.

He leads me to the long table with oatmeal handing me a bowl, he explains “Oatmeal for breakfast most days, but there’s plenty of stuff to add.”

“Right,” I say as he spoons in a portion of the thick meal. “What about Ramse?”

Miles scans the room “Jude must have him on a patrol already. They eat later than us since the first shift goes out at five. Sam and Cassie should be down soon.” It’s starting to freak me out how he knows what my next question is going to be.

Jude comes over to our table singing “Good morning.”

“You look happy?”

Jude stirs the blueberries into her oatmeal “I have made up my mind that today I will give birth.”

Miles chocks on his food “You’ve been saying that for the past week.”

“Nope, today is the day, he’s going to be here today.” She sounds very sure of herself while Miles just smiles.

Looking at the moving fabric on her shirt I ask “Does she have a name?”

“He does.”

Miles smiles “You think it’s a girl too?”

I shrug eating my food “It’s better than calling her it.”

Jude clears her throat “His name is Elijah Ryan.”

“I tried to get a Sam Jr in there, but it didn’t work,” Sam says sitting at the table.

Jude makes a sour face “I love you but no, this baby has to be his own person no Samuel or Jacob.”

“No Elena or Rebeca.”

I see Jude wipe her eyes at the mention of her own mother, she jokes it off “Well a boy named Becky we’re not really giving him a fair chance.”

“So what is the girl name?”

“Zoë Grace,” Sam sing it down to the stomach as the child kicks. “See girl.”

“Maybe he doesn’t like being called Zoë.”

Miles whispers to me “They’re always like this.”

“It’s how they got pregnant in the first place.” Cassie sits near me closer than normal. Then whispers in my ear “We need to talk.”

“Right,” we had sex and we love each other, but now we don’t know what we’re doing well she might she’d time to think. Being a time traveler I thought I would always have time. It’s the opposite of that all that time that most people use to think with is gone. Time is getting back at me.

“Tonight in my room.”

The three of them are looking at us, but Jude talks to her stomach “Kid you might not be alone here after all.”

Cassie laughs too, but there is a tint of sadness to it, she’s still going to die in my arms. Our eyes meet and I see the same fear in them. Fear of the unknown and of the known. She’s fated to die but, if I can save Ramse who is two days past dead now.

“What about Ramse aren’t people looking for him?”

Sam nods “Yeah, but Ethan Seki leaded a very private life if Elliot Jones hadn’t found his blood it would months till someone found out he was missing.”

“Katarina’s husband?”

Cassie nods “Yeah, he’s an asshole.”

“Does the younger Jones know about this place?”

“No.” Sam says, his voice tinted with sorrow. “She told us to make this place but never to tell the younger version of herself.”

There is a ringing sound coming from Cassie’s pocket “Cassie,” She says as male a voice says a few words in a fast jumbled tone. Then she groans “Thanks Kev.”

“What’s wrong now?

Cassie’s fingers fly over the phone screen “Random inspection by the USDA.”

Miles drops his spoon as the pinging sound of the thirty people getting Cassie text rings around the room. Then the groans of frustration and annoyance followed by some people leaving. The people move in a way that says this isn’t the first time they’ve done this.

Miles answers the question before I can ask “The U.S Department of Agriculture, they make four surprise inspections a year at planting and harvest time to see how we treat workers.”

Jude finishes for him “Then in the summer and winter to see if we are engaged in any illegal activities. It’s a pain in the ass.” She says getting out her chair without help, an impressive feet.

“Speaking of,” Miles nods to the patrol group coming in. Ramse is with him his eye searching for us.

Sam’s dislike for his father bleeds through in his request “Jude you take him.”

“Yes, dear.” He kiss her cheek leaving the room.

Cassie squeezes my hand “Try to relax and just follow Miles.”

 The leader of the patrol and tiny Asian man walks over talking to Jude “The guns are locked-up and everyone is accounted for.”

“Good get your breakfast,” She tells them breathing heavily as Ramse follows her.

“Where’s Sam?”

Jude answers “Getting the log book and harvest records they’ll want to see them. Cassie is getting employment records and I…I need to-”

“Sit down and finish eating,” Miles guides her back to the table. “We’re all going to finish breakfast, then go about our day like it’s any other.”

I see Tia directing two young women both of them eighteen, to clean up the bowls from the people who left. The others that didn’t leave are having whisper conversations. Mostly this seems to be an inconvenience to them something they are used to.

Ramse sits with us “This happens a lot.”

“Four times a year.” Jude says with just enough sourness in her voice to let us know that she doesn’t want to talk about this.

“So what happens after this?” I ask feeling the air change from the easy joy to fear.

“You come with me to fix a car I’ve been working on and you,” He points to Ramse with his spoon “Are going to do whatever his woman says.” That makes Jude smile just a little.

We’re almost done when Sam comes back in with two mrn in dark colored suits “This is the kitchen where we eat.”

One of the men looks over at us “Do all of your employees eat here?”

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Miles’ workshop is a barn to the north of the main house, it’s full of car parts, tools, and cars. Mostly trucks but there are others like the one he found us in. “Did you build these cars?”

“Most of them yeah just order the part and put in. It’s not hard.” He says opening the hood of a truck.

“My father he had a garage.”

He nods “So, you know what a socket wrench looks like?”

“Yeah,” I take the wrench from the table and bring it to him. “So, why don’t you like the USDA guys?”

He keeps his eyes on the engine the thing is more rusted than metal “They don’t like us think we’re hippies or something. And, being for the future we don’t trust easily. Do you trust me?”

“No.”

“Good I don’t trust you either,” He says, holding out a bolt.

“You shouldn’t-” He pauses as the sound of heavy footsteps announce that the inspectors are here.

The door opens letting in the cold winds Sam holds the door open as the two man in suits enter the barn. “This is the auto shop.”

“And what happens in here?” One of them a man with red hair and cold gray eyes asks as he scans the room looking for something out of place.

“Auto repairs,” Sam answers sarcastically.

The redhead looks at him “You are?”

“Miles, I run the shop,” he nods to me. “This is Cole, he’s my apprentice I’m teaching him the whole business.”

I watch the other man a quiet, dark skinned who is looking in every corner of the barn. He even has a flashlight to shine into the crawl space were a person could hide if they had too, but right now it only has spider webs.

The redhead laughs like he doesn’t believe us “Mr. Cole is it?”

“Yes.”

His eyes scan my cloths the shaggy clothes that come from a different time “You work here?”

“He does,” Sam says in a polite and friendly tone that mask the thinly veiled disdain.

The dark skin man asks the next question “When did you start working here?”

“We hired him and another man just yesterday?” Miles says evenly his displeasure is hidden better than Sam’s.

Redhead asks the next question “Do you have their applications.”

“Federal regulations state that we have 30 days file applications,” Miles replies.

They both nod stratified with everything in the barn the Redhead turns to Sam “Our record say that you have a medical facility here?

Both of them leave Sam follows and Miles half-yells to him “Be nice Sammy we want them to like us.”

I hear him mutter under his breath “Asshole.”

Miles turns back to his engine “We love inspection around here.”

“I can tell.”

He scoffs “I can’t wait till shit hits the fan and we don’t have to deal with this government bull shit.”

“You’re waiting for the end.”

The man pulls out a large chunk of metal “We never saw the end of this Sam and me, were born after.” He takes it over to the long work table “All these forms and regulations it’s all just going to rot in some office until Scav’s come and use it wipe their asses.”

“True.”

He takes some kind of liquid from a shelf above him “Things might be as good as here, but they’re simpler.” His hands got through motion of cleaning the car part “I miss that sometimes things being simple.”

“What part of your life was simple?”

“All of it, really,” the man says. “My father is crazy, that’s why he beat us. You had to kill people to live. You didn’t have to think about it you just did it because you had too no bullshit.”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> The end of the chapter nothing else to do but write me a note.


	8. Talking, Listening and Fixing

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Jude sits at the table along with Ramse who is carrying her lunch “Thanks.” Her voice is too sweet. “Um…could you be a dear get me some hot sauce?”  
> “Sure,” he obediently goes off to find the sauce.   
> Miles is cautious around everyone but the people here he scoffs “You keep this up and your kids going to come out on fire.”  
> Ramse comes back with the glass bottle “Thank you.” She says to Ramse then turns to Miles “I don’t care he needs to come soon.”  
> Sam kiss the top her head “She’s taking her time what’s wrong with that?”

Mostly, I watch Miles clean the rusted carburetor he’s very sure of his movements in here. I noticed this that around people not he was more cautious in his words and movements. “Who taught you how to do this?”

“This guy named Robert, he joined the seven after you two left. He would fix the trucks, I would watch him it was my safe place.”

“What was Sam’s safe place?”

He sighs, taking the now clean piece of metal to the truck “Sam would stick close to Cassie or Katarina, mostly Katarina. Her and Cassie they weren’t afraid of him.” Shaking his head, he rephrases “They were as afraid of him as the rest of us.”

“So um…Cassie and I are…I have no idea what we are.”

“You’re in love plain and simple.” He closes the hood of the truck “You’re lucky.”

I am lots of things lucky isn’t one of them “How so?”

“People like us don’t find love very often, I love Sam like a brother and Cassie, she the closest thing I had to a Mom. But being in love with a another person its rare.”

“People like us?”

He nods, opening the driver side of the truck “People who don’t think they’ll ever find someone to look past all there damage and baggage.”

“A person that you want to be better for.”

Miles nods as he tries to start the truck the engine makes a stuttering sound, he groans “Come on sweetheart.” He tries again this time the engine catches and the truck roars to life “Yes.”

I nod, smiling as the kid looks his age for once and I see him just for a moment be proud of himself. He gets out of the truck tossing the key in the air. “So, who gets it now that’s its fixed?”

He throws me the key “You, Ramse, the Doc. Cars are communal here you take one when you need it.”

“Is everything shared here?” It was a pattern here people ate together and worked together. Even when the other Scavs living in their own trailers they still lived within a few yards of each other.

“Yeah,” He nods searching for the right words. “At first it was just Me, Sam and, Cassie. We stayed together because that’s how we always survived. At first the house was all we had so new arrivals had to stay here. But as time went and we trailers we would just kinda meet for meals. Then when more people joined us meals together became about everyone coming together, sharing information about the day. Still, it’s not for everyone we don’t force it on you.”

We both stop as the sound of large bell ringing echoes in our ears “What’s that.”

“Lunch bell,” He says nodding to the clock on the wall.

_-_-__-_-__-_-__-_-__-_-__-_-__-_-__-_-__-_-__-_-__-_-__-_-__-_-__-_-__-_-__-_-_

Today there is a hot soup for lunch and I sit next to Cassie, who smiles at me “How was work?”

“Informative.”

She smiles “Good.”

Jude sits at the table along with Ramse who is carrying her lunch “Thanks.” Her voice is too sweet. “Um…could you be a dear get me some hot sauce?”

“Sure,” he obediently goes off to find the sauce.

Miles is cautious around everyone but the people here he scoffs “You keep this up and your kids going to come out on fire.”

Ramse comes back with the glass bottle “Thank you.” She says to Ramse then turns to Miles “I don’t care he needs to come soon.”

Sam kiss the top her head “She’s taking her time what’s wrong with that?”

“A lot,” Jude says, pouring the liquid into the bowl. “He’s stubborn like his father.”

Sam just smiles “Right I’m the stubborn.”

Pointing her spoon at him she says very calmly “Think very carefully about where you want to sleep tonight.”

“I will.”

Cassie changes the subject “How did it go with the inspectors?”

“Fine, why don’t you show them around you do own this place.”

“Because I do own the place, making me your boss.”

Miles laughs in his soup “You walked right into that one, Brother.”

He nods, turning to Cassie “Did you file their applications?”

“Yes.” Sam has another question, but before he can ask Cassie answers it. “I also sent copies to the field office and files the new employment forms for the IRS.”

Miles leans over to explain, “When she’s not it the clinic she’s files paperwork with the government keeping up employment records and filing Tax forms.”

“Since we have no patients for the government paper game,” Jude explains touching her stomach.

“When are you from?”

Ramse whose been listening mostly ask Jude “I was splintered to 2009 from 2030. Sam found me in 2011.”

“How old are you?”

“I was born in 2008 I was twenty-two when I splintered back here.”

Ramse looks at Sam a question on his lips, but he knows that asking it will make a least one person at this table upset. Sam looks at his soup “I like older woman.”

Miles laughs, but try’s to hide it was cough Jude just rubs her stomach, smiling “You always said that love is timeless.”

**_2011_ **

_“Screw off,” The woman says her voice shaking. It’s near freezing and the building is doing little to shield her from the cold. There is tiny fire made of paper scraps. Her coat is thin, but I can see that she’s wearing three sweaters trying to add warmth to her body._

_“I’m Sam,” I hold out my hand._

_She looks up her eyes a lifeless brown, her red hair is greasy and dull “Good for you.”_

_Leaning down I get eye level with her “I can help you I have a motel room-”_

_She pounces on me pulling out a very sharp knife holding it to my neck “I’m not for sale.”_

_“2038,” I say loudly._

_Her stone face loosens for half a second, then the blade is presses into my skin. “That’s a long time from now you might not live to see it.”_

_Swallowing I look at her eyes the life isn’t gone, it was hiding like a lion “I was born in 2038 I splintered here from the year 2058.”_

_She move off of my chest still hold in the knife to my throat “Did that woman send you to kill me?”_

_“No, she sent me here to find you all of you and make you a safe a place.”_

_“There is no safe place,” She says putting the knife back into her coat._

_I use to think that but, now with Cassie and Miles we’ve built a safe place “How about a warm place to sleep or some food that didn’t come from a dumpster. Look, I know you’re not used to being safe but, if you give it a chance you can be.”_

_The idea scars her I can see her processing it trying to find the trick or lie “I don’t trust you.”_

_I nod “Okay.” Standing I look around at the building “You can stay here and die or come back with me but tomorrow I’m leaving and I would like it if you left with me.”_

_“I’ll think about.” She says coughing using the wall to stand “I’m Jude.”_

_-_-__-_-__-_-__-_-__-_-__-_-__-_-__-_-__-_-__-_-__-_-__-_-__-_-__-_-__-_-_-__-_

After work I Miles give me a real tour of the farm we pass fields of land, some have plants growing while others are bare. “Most of the grain we keep and the produce too.”

“What do you sell them?”

Miles leads us to a field with rows of trees surrounded by a wooden fence, he leans against it facing away from the trees. “Like I said we keep most of the grain and vegetables, but these are apple trees, we sell crops to local stores.”

 “And what happens when the shit hits the fan?”

“We keep it all and make hard cider.” He smiles at the trees “And other stuff.”

I have a few ideas about what other stuff they could have no law meant that if you could make all the illegal drugs were sold or bartered just like anything else. In fact the reason we stayed in the woods is because the cities are ruled by drug gangs.

I walk with him along the fence till we reach a small lake there is a deck leading six feet into the water. “Why aren’t you stopping it?”

Miles breaths out bending down by the water, he picks up a stone “Try to see like this.” He makes a wide gesture to the water “The water is time and you are the stone. I, no matter how hard I try, this stone will sink to the bottom of the water.” Flicking the stone across the water, it skips three times, then disappears “Change one or two things but you can’t stop it, Cole.”

 “I saved Ramse when he was supposed to die.”

He shrugs “Save one and billions will still die. We can’t change it no matter how much we want to.”

I look around this place most be popular in the summer a little piece of paradise. “If you could change it, would you?”

“I would.”

 “Even it means never being born.”

Taking his hand out of his jacket he looks at them “I can kill someone with my bare hands I’ve done it before.”

My own breath comes out as white smoke “Me too. Seeing things no kid should see.”

“Loving what a psychopath worrying that one day you might end up just like him. I’d rather never be born then grow-up there.”

_-_-__-_-__-_-__-_-__-_-__-_-__-_-__-_-__-_-__-_-__-_-__-_-__-_-__-_-__-_-_-__-_

I knock on the door after dinner “Come in.”

Cassie is sitting on her bed hair-up with her glasses on she’s the most beautiful woman. “Hey.”

I smile at her and she laughs not in a joking way she stands, walking over to me taking my hands. “You don’t show affection I get why.” She leads back her bed both of sitting down. “Any emotion can be used against you so you’ve kept it inside of you.” Her hand travels to my cheek “It’s what kept you alive.” This is all true, she’s learned it the hard way. “It doesn’t have to be like that this time.”

Pressing my head against hers, I say softly “I want to be with you where ever you are that’s where I belong.”

“I believe we can change it but, I won’t leave till after Jude has her baby.”

“Okay.”

For a while we just lay together looking at each other before I ask the question “Do you think Ramse will come with us?”

“I don’t.”

“You don’t know if he’ll come or if you want to come?

“Both,” She says looking down.

Pulling her face back up me say “It’s up to him.”


	9. Story Time

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> “You really want to have this kid soon, huh.”  
> She scoffs. “I’m carrying fifty extra pounds and there is a little person inside me dance on my bladder and giving me heartburn hot enough to cook with if this baby isn’t born soon before I’ll bust open like a dead body.”  
> I match her pace, asking. “What will they ask me?”  
> “Normal stuff I guess. Where you were born what happen to your family who you ended up with Jones. Stuff like that.”  
> “Will they ask about the people I killed?”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> So, I am not dead yay. I just haven't been into the story but now I saw it and just got the writing bug.

After breakfast the next morning Miles and Sam go into town and Cassie is neck deep in paper training a man to take over her place when she leaves. That means I am left to my own devices. I explore the farm more entering the barn I see horses and cows. Walking over to the horses I pet one of them on the nose.

“She likes you.” I turn to my left reaching for a knife that’s not there.

The guy holds up his hands. “Whoa there Savoir.”

I sigh. I’ve heard that word whispered around the room at meal times and Ramse use to joke with me about it here it doesn’t hold the same position. Here it’s more like a curse. They all believe that the future is set nothing can change it. I don’t think that our future is our own.

“Sorry.” I mutter the man.

He nods. “It’s all good my first month here I kept kitchen knives Jude would frisk me after every meal. This man, like most of the people here is taller than Jude and while she is huge now I can tell that her normal figure is a slim one. Her take no shit attitude gives her height. Also the daughters Jennifer’s Crew is fierce fighters because they have to be.

“I’m Cole.”

“Dylan.” He says, pulling a carrot out of his coat pocket. “You can feed her if you want.”

Taking the carrot I hold it in my palm the horse eats it licking my hand after. “How long have you been here?”

 “Jones splintered me to 2013 I’ve been here two years, I was on my own for five months.”

“Who was here the longest?”

“Joe Walker, he runs the harvest crew Jones really screwed him and sent him to 2005. He was working on a farm in New Jersey when Sam found him.”

“Hey Dylan.” We both turn to see the wide figure of Jude in the doorway. “Can I borrow Cole?”

He nods and I walk over to the woman she smiles at me that’s a bad thing. “Why are you smiling?”

“Sam and Cassie have decided that tonight is the night everyone gets to ask you their questions.”

I roll my eyes. “They seem to know everything about me already.”

Jude walks past the house south to the cow pasture. “Really, they don’t in fact other you are being Ramses’ only friend and Cassie’s lover, I really don’t know anything about you.”

“Good.” Looking around I note that we’re not stopping. “Um, shouldn’t we be getting back?”

“No, walking can bring on labor.”

“You really want to have this kid soon, huh.”

She scoffs. “I’m carrying fifty extra pounds and there is a little person inside me dance on my bladder and giving me heartburn hot enough to cook with if this baby isn’t born soon before I’ll bust open like a dead body.”

I match her pace, asking. “What will they ask me?”

“Normal stuff I guess. Where you were born what happen to your family who you ended up with Jones. Stuff like that.”

“Will they ask about the people I killed?”

Jude takes my hand. “We’ve all done that its’ not the killing that matters, it’s the reason why. You tell them and they’ll tell you things about themselves just don’t tell them about Ramse remember.”

I nod.

“Since there are questions that I won’t be able to ask I want to ask them now.” Placing her hands on her belly her breath out in a long river of white smoke. “You know Ramse better than anyone. I know him now and he seems like that kind of person who wants to do what’s right. But, he’s got a long list of reason to distrust him.”

She pauses to smile as the fabric of her jacket moves it still amazes me that here is a person inside of her. “Has he done something?”

“No.” she stops to lean against the fence her breathing heavy. “Everyone likes him and I do too, he’s one of us.”

“Is it Sam, who has the problem?”

“Sam tolerates him after the baby is born, he’ll understand.” Jude looks down at her stomach.” She smiles answering my next question before I ask. “That you would do anything for your child. I love my child and won’t have him near someone who could turn on him.”

Running my hands through my hair. “Can I ask how you got pregnant?” We don’t have the pills Cassie told me about, but most women knew when to not have sex. The world is dangerous for a full grown adult a child, there’s a reason I’ve never seen a pregnant woman.

“Alcohol and a lack of clear judgment.”

I laugh.

“Answer my question James.”

“It’s completed.”

“When I first figured it out that I was pregnant, I knew he wouldn’t have an easy life that it would hard for him. So, I made him a promise that I would do all I could to keep him safe. Will he be safe with Ramse here?”

“Ramse is dangerous, but only to the people to that try to hurt someone he cares for. He loves his son and he’ll love his grandchild.”

**_2015 (Nine Months Ago)_ **

_“God, I know I’ve we’re not in the best of term, but please not this.” I open my eyes and the little plus sign is there. Dropping the stick I bury my face in my hands, letting myself cry._

_“Jude?”_

_“Miles go away.” I say still sobbing._

_Of course he doesn’t go he opens the door, sees the stick and me crying. “I would say cognates, but you would hurt me so…”_

_It might be because it’s true or just how he said it, but it does make me laugh. “Miles what am I going to do?”_

_He walks over to me kneeling. “You have to tell him both of you made is keyed so both of to agree on what to do.”_

_Taking a deep breath. “I can’t keep it.”_

_“Why not here is pretty nice.” He says, looking around at the lights that work and the water pipes that not only work but also have hot water. The smell of dinner being cooked outside creeps in from an open window. “It’s a great place, but…”_

_“It won’t last two years then this world, it’s over.”_

_Miles shakes his head, his hair almost matches the sunlight filtering in. “We’ll be here me and Sam. We’ll protect you both of you.” He nods to my stomach._

_“How could I be so stupid?”_

_“Love is stupidity my Father told me that.”_

**2015**

“When did you join the west seven?”

I answer. “2033.”

“You two travel together before that?”

Ramse nods. “We met in foster care when I was eleven and cole was six. The virus hit and we were left alone.”

One of the young girls she’s twenty, well looks twenty, her name is Joy I think speaks. “How did you end up with Jones?”

“How did you get there?” I ask.

She drinks her beer. “I was looking for a place to shelter for the night. There was this storm so I was stumbling around the forest. Then this flash of lighting and I was the building there. It looked abandoned.”

Cassie leans against me smiling. “Appearances can be deceptive.” My mind goes back to the first time we met when she thought I was crazy.

“Yes, they can be.” Sam agrees as Jude smiles down at her belly

“Anyway,” Joys says getting back to her story. “I’m in the building and I hear voices.”

Ramse finish “And you fire a warning a shot.”

She nods. “Yes, I did. It ended with me in a cell and Katerina offered me a deal volunteer.”

“Or die.” The others say raising their bottles or glasses and drinking.

“Come on Ramse what did you do?”

He sips his beer. “It was early winter I was looking for ammo. I followed the water when I heard gun shots. They had just killed a deer.”

Tyler scoffs” You went after them alone?”

“There were just four of them.” He says off handily sipping his drink.

The man shakes his head pointing at him. “You are either very stupid or brave.”

“He’s both,” Sam says.

Tia asks us both the next questions. “How old were you when you first killed a person?”

“I was fourteen.” I feel Cassie stiffen. “He was trying to rob us we were still traveling together. Ramse was on the ground, he had been knocked out. I had a gun it happen so fast.” Every other time it will be slow at least for me it is seen that person die it changes you and you never get used to it. “It was a clean shot to the chest, but the recoil knocked me on my ass.”

“And you?” The older woman nods to Ramse.

He looks down at his glass. “It was during the end. All the people were leaving the city. Cole and I were immune but everyone else was dead. Our foster parents lit out when everyone started to get sick. There was this guy he was drunk looking for more booze. I hit with a pipe I didn’t mean to kill him.”

“Aww.” We all look at Jude. There is a very large wet spot on her pants and the couch. She looks at Cassie, her eyes very wide with fear. “Oh my God.”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Also I love question and words of encouragement please write me a note


	10. It's a...

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> “Sam is he alive?”  
> “Yeah.” I say the baby starts to cry. Cassie takes the baby who is still not crying, but making little coo like noises. “Cut the cord Dad.”   
> I cut the cord quickly and that seems to do the trick the child's eyes open and loud wails of discomfort enter the room. There is a fine bit of red fuzz on the top of the head announcing that this is Jude’s child but the eyes. They are my eye, my mother’s eyes. “Shh, it’s okay, I’m here. I’m your Daddy and I won’t let anything happen to you.”

 “Breath come on, babe breath.” I say, rubbing my wife’s back as another contraction grabs her body. We were in our bedroom, of course, everyone else is outside. Ramse included, I know I should try to accept him, but all I can think about is the day my mother died. He left when I needed him the most he was gone, leaving me alone there to survive Deacon.

She pants laying back down. This is hour ten of labor and the panic that she felt in those first days is back. “I…i…I can’t do this…Sam why are we doing this?”

“We could have stopped this months ago we said no remember?” I took her into the city for a real doctor’s appointment not that Cassie isn’t a doctor but this doctor did our first ultra-sound. Seeing my child, hearing her heartbeat it was a miracle. After that we said that we would go on. That our child would live for as long as possible.  

“I do, but we can’t be parents we don’t know how.” The pain, ease off as she starts to breath normally.

Turning around I face her taking her hand I look down. “No, we don’t.”

“Sam.” Cassie says, pausing from her examination. “Not helping.”

I shake my head, looking into Jude’s wide eyes so full of fear. “I have no idea how to be a good father, but I know what a bad one is. So, I’ll do the opposite of that and you care about everyone this child will be lucky to have you.”

She smiles. “I love you. Awww…”

Cassie checks her. “Okay, I feel a head. It’s time to push.”

“No, Cassie I can’t do this.”

“Yes, you can.” She says in her no nonsense tone. “Look at me Judith.” Their eyes lock. “You are going to push this baby is coming. Now push.”

Jude takes my hand crushing the bones. “Ahhhh.”

“1,2,3,4. Good.” Cassie says. She takes a breath. “Good one more push, Jude.”

“Oh God ahhhhhhh.”

Her face is twisted in pain one minute, then its gone the pain is gone, replaced with a look of amazement. I look down at Cassie, my other mother. The baby is covered in blood it looks like blood.

“Why isn’t he crying?” Jude asks as Cassie sucks more of the blood out of the mouth.

Cassie hands the baby over to me as she ties the cord off with surgical string. I look down at the baby. The eyes are still closed but there is a fine fuzz of red hair on the head. “Wow.”

“Sam is he alive?”

“Yeah.” I say the baby starts to cry. Cassie takes the baby who is still not crying, but making little coo like noises. “Cut the cord Dad.”

I cut the cord quickly and that seems to do the trick the child's eyes open and loud wails of discomfort enter the room. There is a fine bit of red fuzz on the top of the head announcing that this is Jude’s child but the eyes. They are my eye, my mother’s eyes. “Shh, it’s okay, I’m here. I’m your Daddy and I won’t let anything happen to you.”

“Sam, what is it?”

The process of the baby coming out and I cutting the cord took all of a minute but time is moving slowly. Walking over to Jude I put the baby onto her exposed skin. She is crying, looking down at the baby. “Oh my God. Sam look what we made.” The baby stops crying as Jude kiss the fuzzy head of our child. “Happy birthday.”

I get into the bed putting my arm around my wife I whisper. “We’re a family now.”

We stay like that for a good ten minutes before Cassie asks. “I have to check now.”

Jude hands the child over to Cassie. “Hi, sweetheart.” She cleans the baby off with warm water. I always marveled at how she could be this warm, caring person then switch to a warrior with a hard heart. She smiles announcing. “Nine pounds, eight oz.”

“Chubby checks.”

Jude lightly hits my arm. “There’s nothing wrong with being sturdy.”

Cassie brings the baby back over to us clean and in a baby oneiz wrapped in a plum colored blanket. “Sturdy and completely healthy.”

“Thank you.” Jude say take the not so tiny child in her arms.

Looking down I smile at my child. “Welcome to the world. Zoë Grace.”

Jude smiles at me. “Enjoy being right it won’t happen again.”

Leaning down I kiss my daughter, she stirs but doesn’t cry. She seems content to just be here. “If I could be right about only one thing I’m glad it’s her.”

Cassie looks at us a piece of paper in her hand. “Okay, time to fill out the birth certificate. Sex, female. And the name.”

“Zoë Grace Malone.” I say, rubbing her hair, it’s soft like silk and red like an autumn leaf.

She nods. “Parents Judith and Samuel Malone.”

“Yes.” Jude says smiling down at our daughter, who is sleeping like a rock. “Don’t worry she just tired it’s been a long day for all of us.”

“Wight 9 lbs 8 oz and length 20 inches.”

**Cole**

“Cole?”

I shift into awake its Cassie looking both exhausted and ecstatic. “What’s wrong?”

She helps me get to my feet Miles is gone, I hear the sound of voices in Sam’s room. Ramse is next to me she looks at him. “You have a granddaughter.”

He smiles looking for the room not know if he should go with thankfully Sam comes out a huge grin on his face making him look like his father. “Come on José time to meet your grandchild.”

The three of us enter the room Jude looks worst then Cassie, but she looks happier. Holding her baby in a deep purple blanket she looks at us. “I’ve never been so happy to be wrong.”

Miles smiles his emotion the ones he keeps buried deep down are shining. “I have a goddaughter?”

She nods. “And you have a granddaughter. Would you like to hold her?”

“Can I?” Sam takes the baby gently placing her in Ramses’ arm, it’s a clumsy fit at first but he gets it. “Hi, sweetie aren’t you so beautiful.”

Sam just sits on the bed looking at Ramse like this is the first time he’s seen him. “I get it now.”

“Get what?” Miles and I ask at the same time.

Ramse hands Zoë back to her mother. “You’ll understand when you have kids of your own.”

_-_-__-_-__-_-__-_-__-_-__-_-__-_-__-_-__-_-__-_-__-_-__-_-__-_-__-_-__-_-__-_-_

**_2020_ **

_I lay flat on my stomach watching the strange group of woman in front of me as they work. They’ve been here since last night I thought it was just because of the storm that they choose to stay here. The minute I knew they were here I hide in the vents, like my Dad told me to do. He’s been dead for a year now but, I’m still here alive in our building._

_The vents have been my hiding place since I was little. When I was eight I found that I could use them to get around the building. Then when everyone started to get sick, I used them to get into people’s apartments. I would open the door for my Dad, we would take food, clothes, anything we needed. Now I’m twelve still small enough to fit in the vents. But, I was getting longer none of my clothes fit me anymore, I was wearing clothes that belonged to another kid, a boy who lived here. He liked everyone else was dead or gone. It was the same to me since they never came back Mom didn’t._

_“We should do a proper search of the building now.” One of the strange woman says pulling a rifle onto her shoulder._

_Another woman with chocolate colored skin agrees. “We might even find some food. Since Mother says we’re staying here for the winter.”_

_“No.” I clamp my hand over my mouth. But the damage is done, they both look at the vent._

_“Who are you?” My heart starts to beat wildly as they look down guns pointed at me._

_The darker woman speaks. “Come out slowly.”_

_I tell myself not to, cry if I cry, they’ll defiantly kill me if I do you can’t show fear. Wiggling out of the vent I hold my hands up. “Please don’t shoot me.”_

_Their eyes scan my body looking for weapons I have a knife but no gun I ran out of bullets for it and carrying it in the vents was never a good idea. The white woman is younger, in her twenty’s her gun is still on me as the older, darker woman looks like my Dad’s age. She comes over takes my knife and the bolt cutters off of my body, she also pulls the dirty black knit cap off my head. Letting my long red bride fall down._

_“What’s your name?”_

_“Judith Wright.”_

_“Ryann, Take her to meet Mother.”_

_The younger woman, Ryann walks with me down the stairs. “How old are you?”_

_Keeping my eye down I mumble “Twelve I guess.”_

_“How long have you been on your own?”_

_I make myself hold back the tears this is no place for crying that will get you shot. You can’t show weakness or fear. “A year, my Dad died and Mom ran off before all of this happen.”_

_Ryann stops at an apartment, I know the woman you use to live here she was an actor or something. Now there are two women guarding the door._

_“Who’s this?”_

_“Jude we found her here alone.”_

_The door opens that surprises all of us, this woman, the mother isn’t old like she could be thirty, maybe but her eyes they seem to know me. “It’s good to see you again. Come in.”_

_I enter the room the woman sits on the couch the room that was somewhat orderly is a mess and on the wall is a monkey it freaks me out I have the strange feeling that I’ve it before. “You do know that I’ve never met you before.”_

_She pulls me down. “This is your first time meeting me not my first time meeting you.”_

_“That makes no sense when did you meet me?”_

_She smiles, reaching into her long coat. “You were bigger you had boob’s and a baby.”_

_Looking down at my chest I see the peach size breast that has grown over the last few months. The first people I’ve seen in a year and they lead is crazier than a bag of cats. “So, I’m an adult when I meet you?”_

_“It was years ago, but yes.” This whole conversion is making no sense at all. How could I be an adult, years ago and, I know that I will never have a child. The logical part of me is saying that I should just leave that this Mother is bat shit crazy. “Here these are your favorite right.”_

_I take the pack of skittles they were my favorite back when you could have favorites. “How do you know this?”_

_“You were eating them when I met you.”_

_Since I haven’t eaten since last night, afraid that someone will shoot me this is so confusing. I met her years ago when I was a woman, who had a baby. But all this is past for her. “Who are you?”_

_“Jennifer.”_

**Author's Note:**

> Hey you made it to the end so sad but hey you know what you should do now. Write me a little note did you like it did you hate it? Do you have a question ask I'll answer.


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